A man holding a Tibetan flag has died after setting himself on fire outside the United Nations headquarters in New York on Thursday in an apparent protest against Chinese rule over Tibet.

Protest Against Chinese Rule

Law enforcement responded to a 911 call at around 6:30 p.m. and observed a 52-year-old male with severe burns across his body, a New York City Police Department spokesperson told CNN. The man was taken to hospital and later pronounced dead, the spokesperson said.

The government-in-exile of Tibet – and an activist in New York who knew him – named the man as Lobga Rangzen (also known as Lobsang Palden). A video live-streamed from a Facebook account under that name shows a man holding a Tibetan flag stopping along First Avenue opposite the UN headquarters and then being engulfed in flames.

The rare incident comes just days after China enacted an ethnic unity law that expands mandates over the use of Chinese language in schools and governments in ethnic minority regions and calls for the further “Sinicization” of religion. Tibetan and human rights activists have voiced alarm over the sweeping new law, which they fear will further deepen the cultural erasure of ethnic minorities across China.

Reaction from Tibetan Government-in-Exile

In a statement released Friday, the head of Tibet’s government-in-exile Penpa Tsering said he was “deeply saddened” by the self-immolation and urged Tibetans to “cherish” their lives. “While we honor his devotion, human life is precious and must be preserved to serve the long-term struggle for Tibet,” Tsering said.

Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.